Dartmouth woman to be sent to Florida on murder charges

By Angie Hilsman | Aug 09, 2017

A 23-year-old Dartmouth resident will arrive in Florida by the end of the month, following charges of first degree murder in the southern state.

Desiree Tedder is currently being held in Massachusetts on a fugitive from justice warrant, but Florida officials have succeeded in having her extradited after upping her charges from second to first degree murder.

Tedder is accused of murdering 23-year-old Drulmauert Mims as he slept in her grandmother’s home just outside Pensacola, Florida. The grand jury handed down its first degree murder indictment on July 18, according to Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille in Florida. In a hearing on August 7, Tedder was served an extradition warrant.

Marcelo said the Escambia County Sheriff's Office has arranged Tedder's transport. She will be picked up by August 17 from the Bristol County House of Correction, where she is being held, and will arrive in Florida within two weeks of that time, he said.

First degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence or the death penalty in Florida. Under Florida law, prosecutors must decide whether they will pursue the death penalty within 45 days of Tedder’s arraignment in Florida, Marcille said.

Tedder did not waive extradition at a court hearing on July 5. Because she did not voluntarily choose to be returned to the southern state, a lengthy formal process began to compel Massachusetts officials to return Tedder to Florida.

Tedder is accused of beating Mims with a crowbar, stabbing him, and suffocating him while he slept in her grandmother’s home, according to court documents.

The accusations come from Lizmary Rodriguez, also 23, who was allegedly in the bedroom with Mims at the time, she told police.

She alleged Tedder moved Mims' body into a trash can, placed it outside, and later buried it in the backyard of her grandmother's Warrington home, and cleaned the room and mattress of blood, according to court documents.

Mims’ body was discovered buried behind the home on June 28.

A man Tedder texted after the murder told police Tedder forced Rodriguez to help clean up and move the body or she would be killed too, but he said Rodriguez did not have anything to do with the murder, according to court documents.